


Family's The Only Thing We Need

by Fansiegirl11



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Adoption, Basically They Cuddle A Lot, Car Accidents, Children, Couch Cuddles, Family, Foster Care, Homophobia, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Minor Character Death, Morning Cuddles, Parent Death, Post Closing, Sleepy Cuddles, Surgery, harrassment, hit and run, some sexual innuendos
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-23
Updated: 2015-04-07
Packaged: 2018-02-18 13:40:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 12,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2350415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fansiegirl11/pseuds/Fansiegirl11
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Corey and Ben had always wanted kids. They just never imagined it would happen so soon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to Ashlyn and Mackenzie for reading and giving me advice on where to go with this story. And extra special thanks to Ashlyn for coming up with a title for me!
> 
> I in no way own Ben or Corey or anyone else who pops up in this story. I do however own the plot and Peyton and Anastasia.

It was a fairly typical Saturday afternoon. Newsies had been closed almost a week now and Ben and Corey were still enjoying the fact that they had time to just lay on the couch together and do nothing but enjoy the other’s company. Ben started rehearsals for his new project on Monday, so Corey thought a weekend in pajamas watching Lifetime movies was in order before their schedule got crazy again. Ben was just starting to drift off when he heard Corey’s stomach growl.

“Man, its getting late and we never had lunch. Do we have anything for dinner?” Corey mumbled as Ben uncurled himself from the other man’s chest.

“I think we had the last of the leftovers last night when Chris and Clay came over. I haven’t shopped since closing, so I doubt there’s anything left,” Ben replied groggily.

Corey groans and gets up from the couch.

“I guess I should probably put on some clothes and go to the store then,”

“Or you could always go naked,” replied Ben cheekily.

“I save that side of myself for you,” Corey answered as he walked into the bedroom.

Corey came back out of their bedroom a few minutes later, wearing one of Ben’s shirts and a pair of faded jeans.

“Lookin’ good!” Ben whistled as Corey grabbed his key and walked out of the apartment.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still don't own Ben or Corey

Corey had been gone for almost 3 hours and Ben was starting to get really worried. The grocery store was only half a block from their apartment and even if Corey had decided to do a full shopping instead of just getting the essentials and whatever he wanted for dinner, he should have been home by now. And Corey always texted if he was running late.

**Text Message from Ben, 7:05pm**

_Hey, where are you? I thought you’d be home by now._

****  
  


Ben decided to distract himself by looking through his Twitter notifications for a few minutes. He opened the app to see that he had 750 notifications since he had looked last. Geez, couldn’t the fansies give him a little privacy? Almost all the notifications were worried fans asking how he was feeling and why he hadn’t been on Twitter since closing night. People were worried he was crying in a corner? Or singing Poor Guy’s Head Is Spinning over and over again? Or hiding in the Nederlander? If they only knew it was because he and his boyfriend had been a little busy “celebrating” a successful run in their bedroom all week. He was about to tweet something irrelevant just to prove he was alive, maybe a nice picture of a cat, when his phone started to buzz.

**Text Message from Corey, 7:17pm**

_Sorry, slight detour on the way back from the store. Can’t talk now. Meet me at the police station on E 21st ASAP._

Now Ben was really worried. He ran out of the apartment before even changing out of his footie pajamas.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately, I still don't own Corey or Ben. :(

Ben finally made it to the police station about 20 minutes later, exhausted and dripping sweat because fleece footie pajamas, as comfortable as they may be, are not the best choice for running down the streets of NYC at the end of August.

“Where’s Corey?!? What are you doing to him?!?” Ben screamed as he bust through the door.

As a few officers came over to try to calm down this strange, sweaty, screaming man in footie pajamas, Ben caught a glimpse of Corey sitting in a desk chair with a small, sleeping child wrapped up in a blanket in his arms. He ran over to him.

“What the fuck is going on? I was worried sick! Who’s that?” Ben whispered as not to wake the sleeping girl in his boyfriend’s arms.

“Just give me a few minutes and I can explain everything,” Corey replied.

Ben sat in the chair an officer had brought over for him and took the bottle of water another was handing him. It was then that he realized how insane he must have looked.

“So,” Corey began, “This is Peyton. She’s three. You’re probably wondering why I have a sleeping child in my arms at the police station.”

Ben nodded, eager for Corey to continue.

“Well, I was on my way back to the apartment, when little Peyton and her older sister Anastasia come running over to me. I thought Ana must have been a fan at first, but then I saw that they were both crying and Ana’s arm was hanging limp at her side. It turns out they had just been in a hit and run with their mother, and needed help. I picked up Peyton because it was obvious that Ana’s arm was broken and she couldn’t hold her sister with one arm. She led me over to where the accident had happened, and a crowd was already starting to form. I took one look at the woman and knew she was gone. It was horrible Ben. I’ll never be able to erase the image from my brain.”

At this point Corey had started to cry, so Ben got up to comfort his boyfriend and took the little girl out of his arms before he sat back down.

Corey continued, “The cops had just arrived, so I brought the girls over. They asked me to accompany them to the station because Peyton wouldn’t let go of me. We got here, and they whisked Peyton off to the emergency room to get her arm checked out. She’s there now, they think she may need surgery. Right now they’re trying to find any living relatives that they could go stay with, but the only one they’ve found so far is their 89 year old grandmother who lives in a nursing home in Chicago. If they can’t find anyone else, they’re going to have to put them in Foster Care.”

“No,” Ben mumbled, so quietly Corey almost missed it. Almost.

“What do you mean, no?” he asked.

“No. Those girls aren’t going into Foster Care. It’s not fair to them. My mom used to take in Foster kids when I was little, and the kids that got put in later in life were constantly bouncing from family to family because none of them are a true home. They have too many memories of their old life by then and they have trouble settling anywhere, no matter how good the home is. And then there’s the bad homes, where the Foster parents don’t care and just want the extra money. I’m not letting that happen to these kids.”

“What are you saying Ben?”

“I’m saying we would be horrible people if we let that happen. We were just talking the other day about how nice it would be to adopt kids together,” Ben said.

“Yeah, down the road when we’re married and have our own place and steady jobs! Not when we’re young, living in a small apartment, and both unemployed!”

“So its sooner than we planned, but we have an extra bedroom in the apartment that we can set up as theirs, and my show starts rehearsals in a few days. Don’t you trust me?”

“You’re really serious about this? You won’t regret it?”

“How could I regret starting a family with the love of my life? I’ve never been more sure of something in my life,” Ben replied, staring into Corey’s eyes.

“Well then, I guess we better go get started on the adoption process.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry but I just loved the idea of Ben running through the streets of NYC in fuzzy footie pajamas at the end of August way too much to not write it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll never own Ben or Corey, but you've probably figured that out by now.

After filling out all the paperwork to start the adoption process, Corey and Ben were told that Peyton would have to stay in an emergency foster placement until the adoption was approved, and Anastasia would go there as well once she was released from the hospital. The officer that had helped them with the paperwork gave the men Ana’s hospital room number and told them they could go visit her and let her know what was going on.

By the time they left the station, it was almost 10:30 and visiting hours at the hospital were long over, so Corey and Ben decided to get a cab back to the apartment to sleep off the evening’s adventure.

When they got back to the apartment, Ben headed straight for bed, but Corey wanted to take a shower to clear his mind. Ben could hear the shower turn off and relaxed into the bed knowing his boyfriend would be joining him in a few minutes. But when he hadn’t come in the room after 10 minutes, Ben was concerned. He got out of bed and walked into the livingroom where he found Corey sitting on the couch talking on the phone. He decided it would be a good idea to give his boyfriend some privacy for a few minutes, so he went back into the bedroom and shut the door.

Corey crawled in the bed about 20 minutes later. Ben could see the tears dried onto his face so he decided to ask Corey who had been on the phone.

“Ana. I didn’t want her to think I forgot about her. Her arm’s broken pretty bad. She has to have surgery in the morning. She’s scared to be alone. I told her what’s going on with the adoption, and then I called the officer to see if we’d be allowed to go tomorrow before visiting hours to comfort her before her surgery. He said that’d be fine, so I told her we’ll be there. We have to get there by 8, so we should probably get to sleep. I love you.”

“I love you too my angel.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter I had finished already, so it may be a few days before I publish again, depending on how people react and how much homework I end up with. Also, my mom is due to have a baby any day now, so if I disappear for a few days that's probably why.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry its been a while, things have been a little crazy around here. My mom had the baby on 9/26 so we've all been trying to adjust the change. I have to give a huge thanks to Ashlyn (@newsieskid) for pushing me to get back to writing this. I do have most of the story planned out in my notes, its just finding the time to sit down and fully hash out the chapters that I'm struggling with. Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment and let me know what you think! 
> 
> Again, I don't own Ben, Corey, or Newsies in any way. I do, however, own Peyton, Ana, and the plot!

Corey barely slept that night. He was too busy thinking about how his life had changed in the past week. Not only had his show closed, but now he was adopting two kids on top of it! He had always imagined the idea of having kids with Ben, but he always assumed it would happen down the road when they were married and living in a house in Jersey with a nice yard for a dog and a white picket fence. But regardless of the circumstances he was thrilled to be starting a family with the love of his life.

Ben, on the other hand, never slept more soundly in his life. He was thrilled by the idea of raising kids with Corey. He fell asleep thinking of Corey holding Peyton in the police station, and dreamt of planning birthday parties and going to school concerts. Everything was right in his world. 

 

The alarm went of at 7 the next morning. Corey had only slept a few minutes, but Ben was already awake, showered, and cooking pancakes and bacon.

"Good morning sleepy!" Ben called as Corey dragged himself into the small kitchen and sat in front of the coffee his knowing boyfriend had already poured for him.

"Morning," Corey grumbled back as he added his cream and sugar.

"Someone's awfully crabby this morning. We have an exciting day today!"

"Why are you always so goddamn chipper in the morning? I barely slept. I was up all night stressing about the kids, and Ana's surgery, and how the hell we're gonna tell our parents, and..."

"Corey, honey, calm down. It's all gonna work out. Everything will be fine," Ben reassured him while rubbing his back.

"Ben, I haven't even told them we're together. They don't even know I'm gay!" Corey sobbed into Ben's shoulder.

Ben wasn't used to seeing Corey cry. He'd seen him tear up a few times before; they'd both gotten pretty emotional at the closing show, and Corey was a sucker for sappy movies, but Ben had never seen his boyfriend sob before. Not it the 8 years they'd been "just friends", and certainly not in the 2 years they'd been dating. Ben was at a total loss. He knew nothing he could say would make Corey feel better. He just had to cry it out. He put a plate of pancakes and bacon next to the coffee, but Corey just stared at it.

"Baby, it's your favorite. Funfetti pancakes and bacon with brown sugar. I made it just for you."

Corey just kept staring at the plate of food sitting in front of him. It was his favorite, and the bacon did smell really good, but he couldn't shake his nausea. How could things ever work out?


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the first of a few chapters I have written right now. They're in my notebook so I have to type them and then paste them in here. I have PSATs tomorrow morning, but if I'm around in the afternoon I'll try to post more.

By the time Ben had forced some breakfast down Corey’s throat, gotten them both dressed, and drove to the hospital, Ana was already done her pre-op testing and was waiting for the anaesthesiologist to come in. Corey, who had managed to get out of his funk, thanks to the coffee and Ben’s little “surprise” when he was getting him dressed, knocked on the wall of her room and then let himself in.

“Hey, its me. How are ya feeling?”

“Pretty tired. And my arm hurts pretty bad.”

“Well you did get it run over by a taxi so that’s pretty fair. I brought someone I want you to meet though. Can he come in?” Corey asked as he fluffed the pillows behind her head.

“Sure. Who is it?” Ana asked, clearly a little nervous about who was going to see her like this.

“Someone who means the world to me. And I really hope you like him too.” Corey blushed a little as he opened the curtain to let Ben in.

“Hey Ana!” Ben chirped out, a little too cheery for 7:45 in the morning.

“Hey, how’d he know my name?” Ana asked Corey, who was too busy laughing with Ben about her unknowing Newsies reference. “What’s so funny?”

“It’s nothing sweetie. You just brought up a funny memory for us. This is Ben, my boyfriend.”

“Wait, you’re gay? That’s so cool!”

“Well I’m glad you’re cool with that, because we have a little surprise for you. Ben, do you want to tell her?” Corey said.

“Sure. Ana, what would you say to coming and living with me and Corey. Peyton too.” Ben asked the young girl.

“You mean, like forever? Like a family?” Ana asked, her voice serious and her eyes wide.

“Yup, like a family. All four of us.” Corey answered while he hugged Ben from behind.

“I really like that idea. Did you ask Peyton yet?”

“Not yet.” Corey responded. “We wanted to wait and see what you thought first.

“I’d really like that.” Ana answered quietly. “I thought I’d never have a family again.”

Corey and Ben both hugged her carefully, avoiding her arm, as the nurse came in with the anaesthesiologist. Corey and Ben watched as they wheeled Ana into the operating room and then went out to the waiting room where all the other nervous parents sat. They took seats over in the corner of the room and just stared at the wall, both lost in their own thoughts and nerves. Ben was thinking about how they could tell Peyton that they were going to be a family, and at the same time about how he was hoping that Ana’s recovery would be quick and not too painful. Corey was just a nervous wreck. He knew he was going to have to come out to his parents now, and he wasn’t sure how they would take it. What if they were so mad they didn’t want to be a part of his life anymore? What if they didn’t want to be a part of their granddaughters’ lives? And what if the adoption wasn’t approved? How would they tell the girls? And worst of all, what if something happened to Ana during her surgery?

Corey was completely lost in his thoughts when the doctor came out.

“Mr. Cott?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Duh duh duh! Sorry! I'm running out of time in study hall and I wanted to get it posted, so cliffhanger it is!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry it's been a while, I've been crazy busy with school and life.
> 
> I thought you might enjoy seeing what I imagine Ana and Peyton look like, so here's a stock image of each similar to my idea. I'm working on drawing them both right now too, so I'll post those when I'm done with them.
> 
> Ana: http://thumb9.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/387685/387685,1260386218,16/stock-photo-beautiful-smiling-little-girl-with-long-red-hair-in-pink-sweater-42517867.jpg
> 
> Peyton: http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/x/girl-child-orange-curly-hair-blue-eyes-22189130.jpg
> 
>  
> 
> As always I don't own Ben and Corey. If I did I wouldn't be sitting here writing fanfiction.

The next morning Corey had gone to pick up Ana from the hospital while Ben went to pick Peyton up from the temporary foster home she was in. They had the adoption hearing at 1:30 and Ben was already sure that Corey would be late. And they had a lot riding on how today went. More than Corey even knew.

**Text Message from Ben, 12:39 PM**

_Hey hon, are you guys on your way to the hearing yet?_

    Ben turned to look at the little girl hugging onto his leg on the subway and smiled to himself. He felt something he couldn’t quite explain, but it was the best thing he’d ever felt. It felt like he was whole for the first time in his entire life. He was patting his back pocket for the thousandth time to make sure everything was still there when his phone vibrated.

**Text Message from Corey, 12:44 PM**

_Just leaving the hospital now. Cop was late to sign her discharge papers. Getting in a cab. See you soon. Xoxo_

    Ben scooped Peyton up and carried her off the subway, kissing her nose and making her giggle as they stood in front of the court house. They made their way over to some benches to wait for Corey and Ana to arrive. As they sat down, Ben looked around and spotted a little playground.

“Hey Peyton, do you want to go play over there until Corey and Ana get here?” Ben asked the little girl in his lap.

“Yeah!” Peyton yelled as she started dragging him towards the entrance.

    Ben laughed as he jogged to keep up with the energetic little girl. Peyton went straight to the sandbox and Ben was glad that he had remembered to bring her a change of clothes. He sat down on the bench and texted Corey to let him know where they were when he heard a familiar voice from behind him.

“Ben? What are you doing here?”

“Julie? How are you! I’m here with Peyton while we wait for Corey and Anastasia to get here. Corey and I are trying to adopt them and we have our hearing at 1:30.”

**  
**   The two former co-workers sat on the bench and caught up for a while, watching Tuney and Peyton playing together in the sandbox. Before long, Corey arrived with Peyton, who had a royal purple cast that went just above her shoulder and looked to be in a lot of pain. Ben scooped up Peyton and said goodbye to Julie and Tuney, and promised to text her later and let her know how everything went. Corey gave Ben a quick peck on the cheek before he changed Peyton into her clean clothes and they made their way into the courthouse. **  
**


	8. Chapter 8

Ben and Corey were in with the judge, Corey holding Peyton and Ben holding Ana’s head up as she slept off her pain meds in the seat next to him. The judge was asking increasingly personal and invasive questions about them and Ben had to keep a hand on Corey’s back to keep him from lunging at the man.

“And you’re not married?” The judge asked, staring down at the couple through his glasses that were sliding down his nose, with just a slightly judgemental tone to his voice.

“No your honor,” Corey replied.

    As Corey said this, Ben grabbed the small box from his back pocket and got down on one knee. Corey nearly dropped Peyton as he gasped when he realized what was happening.

“Corey Michael Cott, I love you with all my heart and I want to spend my entire life with you. I want to raise children with you. I want to grow old with you. I want nothing else ‘till I die. We’ve been friends for so long now and there’s nobody else who understands me the way you do. You’re truly my something to believe in, and you make this poor guy’s head spin several times a day. I love you more than life itself and I want to spend forever together. So Corey, will you marry me?”

“Yes. Yes!” Corey sobbed out after what seemed like forever.Ben slid the wide silver band with a small square diamond set in the center on to Corey’s finger and the two shared a kiss.

“Ewww!” Yelled Peyton and Ana at the same time. Corey and Ben laughed and went over to hug the girls.

“Well, that was awfully sweet. I’ll have to call a dentist to handle the cavities you two just gave me. Now if you’re finished, I’ve reached a decision. Once you are officially married you may return and sign the adoption papers. Case dismissed,” the judge stated.

    Corey and Ben walked out of the courtroom hand in hand, Corey carrying Peyton and Ben holding onto Ana’s good hand.

“So Corey, what do you say we go and get legally married today, and then we can have a big ceremony down the road when we have time to plan and invite everyone?”

“I say you’re crazy, but that’s why I love you so much and I think its a great idea.”

  
“Then let’s go!” **  
**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's the ring: http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/09/4a/30/094a3081facf4bebcc1bb71af40130dc.jpg


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still don't own Corey, Ben, or Newsies.

Two hours and an expensive celebratory lunch later, Ben and Corey were standing in front of the courthouse again, Corey with Peyton sitting on his shoulders and Ben hugging Ana around the shoulders. Their lives were about to be changed forever.

“You ready?” Ben asked Corey breathily.

“I’ve been ready for 9 years Ben,” Corey responded, blushing a little as Peyton hit him over the head with the wooden fairy wand they bought her earlier to keep her quiet during lunch.

The four slowly made their way into the courthouse and walked down the same hallway as they had just two and a half hours earlier, stopping one door before where they had before. As they walked through the doorway, Ben couldn’t help but smile at the little plaque on the door that read, “Civil Unions Department”. He couldn’t believe the moment had finally come.

They waited about half an hour for the judge to be ready, and then finally made their way into the medium sized room where there lives would be changed forever. The judge from the adoption hearing agreed to sign the papers without a second hearing as soon as the marriage certificate was signed so the girls wouldn’t have to go back to the temporary foster home. When they walked in, Ben handed all the paperwork they had filled out to the woman standing next to the judge, while Corey got Ana and Peyton settled on a bench to the side of the room. Ana was reading a book she had to finish before school started in a week, while Peyton was coloring in one of the coloring books Ben had brought back from the dressing rooms at the Nederlander.

After about twenty minutes of reviewing their paperwork, the judge told Ben and Corey it was time for their vows. Both had decided to improvise something rather than use the pre-written, generic vows that they felt didn’t fit their relationship.

“Benjamin Charles Fankhauser, I’ve thought you were the greatest person on this planet since the day I met you 10 years ago. We were little bushy-eyed high school theater geeks, and you had crazy hair. We had some crazy times together back then, and then when we reunited for Newsies it was like we’d never been apart. These past two years together have been the most amazing years of my life. I promise to always be here for you, and to love you forever, no matter what. You’re the Mark to my Roger, and the Davey to my Jack, but you’re so much more. You’re truly my something to believe in.”

“Corey Michael Cott, you truly have this poor guy’s head spinning yet again. Looking back on high school when we were two theater nerds with bad hair, I never would have imagined that we’d be standing here today getting married and adopting two beautiful girls together. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. You’re my rock and you keep me steady in this crazy life we’re both living. You keep me centered and always believe in me no matter how badly I mess up. I promise to love you for the rest of eternity, and to always believe in you.”

“Alright then, do you have rings you wish to exchange?”

“Yes, your Honor. Peyton, Ana, would you bring them over?” Ben responded.

The girls hopped off the bench and came over, each carrying a ring they had made out of Model Magic while they were at lunch. Ben and Corey smiled as they slid the matching purple and lime green rings on each other’s fingers. They decided it would be better to save the actual rings for when they planned to renew their vows when they had a ceremony with their family and friends, but the girls thought they still needed something to prove they were married.

“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and… er… umm… man. You may kiss the um… uhh… groom?”

“Ewww! Peyton yelled while Ben and Corey sealed their marriage with a kiss.

Ben scooped up Peyton and put her up on his shoulders while Corey hugged Ana. They went up to the judge, signed the marriage and adoption certificates.

“Let’s go home girls. We’re officially a family now,” Ben said.

**  
**“Yeah, and a family’s the only thing we need,” Corey replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright that ending was really cheesy, I'm sorry.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, Chapter 10 already! I never imagined I'd actually post this or work on it regularly, so this is huge! Plus people seem to actually like it, which seems surprising to me. I've had the general idea of this chapter since before I started the fic, so this is sort of where the whole plot stemmed from. I have some more ideas for the next few chapters, so I'm gonna try to bang a few more out tonight. I'm officially on Thanksgiving break now, so hopefully I'll be able to get at least one more posted tonight.
> 
> As always, I don't on Ben and Corey. I also don't own Kara and Kevin. If I did, I certainly would be doing more interesting things in my life than going to school and writing fanfiction.

The next day, Corey texted Kara to ask her for a huge favor. Ben had been talking to her on the way home from the courthouse, and she had helped Ben pick the engagement ring, so she already knew everything that had happened to the couple in the past week.

**Text Message from Corey, 10:08 AM**

_Hey. Could I ask you for a HUGE favor? I’ll owe you FOREVER!_

**Text Message from Kara, 10:10 AM**

_Depends. What do you need?_

__

**Text Message from Corey, 10:13 AM**

_Could you watch the girls tonight? I know you used to nanny, and Ben and I really need a night with the apartment to ourselves to celebrate, if you know what I mean. ;)_

**Text Message from Kara, 10:15 AM**

_Eww, TMI! :P But yes, I can probably take them, let me just check with Kevin._

**Text Message from Kara, 10:28 AM**

_Okay, we can watch them tonight as long as you guys can drop them here after 5 and pick them up by 10:30 tomorrow morning._

**Text Message from Corey, 10:31 AM**

_Thank you so much! I totally owe you one. We’ll be there a little after 5._

__

* * *

__

Later that evening, Kara and the girls were sitting in her apartment watching Frozen, eating pizza, and playing a game of Monopoly when Kevin got home.

“Hey love,” he called over to Kara, who was currently laughing so hard root beer was coming out her nose because Peyton had said something vaguely inappropriate but had no idea what it meant, “What are you crazy girls up to?”

Kara tried to mop up the root beer from the coffee table, while Ana started to shy away from the strange man invading their “girl talk.” Peyton pulled her shoulders back, and walked over to Kevin.

“I’m Peyton. I don’t know who you are, but this is girl talk time and you’re interrupting!” she scolded him as she crossed her arms defiantly, causing Kara, who had just taken another sip of root beer, to crack up again, spitting her soda all over her husband.

“Peyton, Ana, this is my husband Kevin. Kevin, this is Peyton and Ana, Corey and Ben’s kids,” Kara explained to her husband, who was standing there speechless and covered in soda. “Remember, they’re sleeping over tonight.”

“Oh yeah, why are they staying with us exactly?” he asked, still slightly confused. It wasn’t that he minded them being there, he just wasn’t sure why Ben and Corey already needed a night off after only living with the girls for one night.

“Let’s just say it’s not the poor guy’s head spinning tonight, it’s Ben’s,” she replied, and the couple cracked up at her joke while the girls just stared at them, confused.

* * *

Later that night, after cleaning up in the kitchen, Kara came back into the living room to see the girls both asleep on one of Kevin’s shoulders. Figuring it was probably way past their bedtimes, they brought them into the guest room, Kevin carrying Ana and Kara carrying Peyton, who was awfully light, even for a three year old.

After tucking the girls into bed, Kara and Kevin headed into their room to get ready for bed. Just as Kara was about to crawl into her side of the bed, she heard Kevin mumble something from across the room,

**  
**“I think we should have our own kids. Like soon.” **  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so here's another chapter for tonight. I was completely inspired by the Instagram picture Corey posted earlier of him in a cardigan, and then Ashlyn gave me the idea of how to incorporate Ben and Corey wearing cardigans into the story, and thus this chapter was born. I honestly couldn't keep this story alive without her, so a huge thanks to her, she's amazing.
> 
>  
> 
> Also, just like always, I own pretty much nothing in this chapter. I don't own Ben, Corey, Kara, Corey's parents, Submissions Only, etc. You get the point.

One week later, things were just starting to settle down again. Ben had finished his reading, and Kara had offered to nanny for the girls whenever she was able to and the guys needed a day off. One night, during a family dinner after a day of back to school shopping for Peyton, who would be starting homeschooling with a tutor in October, Corey decided it was time to tell Ben what had been bothering him for the past few days.

“Ben, as perfect as everything is right now, something’s bothering me. I really want to be able to post pictures of us all together doing family stuff, but I have to tell my parents first. They invited me to visit for a late Labor Day cookout on Saturday, and said I could bring a friend/date, so I was thinking we would all go, and I’ll pay for Kara to come to watch the girls, and then I’ll cook them a fancy dinner, and tell them everything, and then if they’re okay we’ll let them meet Peyton and Ana,” Corey rambled and then looked at Ben with pleading eyes.

“Okay. Let me go call Kara and make sure she can come. How long would we be there?”

“A week. But she could leave after 3 days if she needs to. If they’re upset or not accepting we’ll leave then too.”

“I’m sure it will all be fine. And worst case scenario we can stay with my parents. I’ll go call Kara.”

* * *

 

And so, three days later, the Cott-Fankhauser family with the addition of Kara were boarding a plane bound for Ohio. The plan was that Kara would be staying in a hotel nearby with the girls, while Corey and Ben would be staying at Corey’s house, Ben in the guest room and Corey in his childhood bedroom. The cookout was on Saturday, and Ben and Corey would be attending as just friends. Then on Sunday, Corey would tell his parents that they were going to visit Ben’s parents across town (they were in on the plan that they were surprising Corey’s parents with lunch, but not why, and agreed to cover for them if the families ran into each other), but they would actually be cooking while the Cott family was at church. If all went well and they were okay with the announcement, Kara would bring the girls over that night. Now all that was left to do was sit back and let it all play out.

* * *

****  
  


Kara and the girls had settled into the hotel and were getting ready to go swimming in the hotel pool before bed, so Corey and Ben hopped in their rental car and began the short drive to the Cott house, knowing their lives were about to change, for better or for worse.

* * *

 

When the pair arrived at the house, they both slipped their rings into their wallets for safe keeping. It was getting late, so after a quick pizza dinner and some small talk to get Ben reacquainted with Corey’s family, they headed to bed to get some rest before their eventful weekend.

* * *

 

The cookout went off without a hitch. Corey’s parents were both amazing cooks, and the food was delectable, and Ben really enjoyed talking with Corey’s siblings. Everyone went to bed with full stomachs, in a bit of a food coma, but Corey couldn’t sleep. He was too nervous about what the next day would bring. He decided to text Ben who was sitting awake in the next room.

**Text Message from Corey, 12:51 AM**

_Hey. You up?_

**Text Message from Ben, 12:52 AM**

_Yup. Can’t sleep?_

**Text Message from Corey, 12:54 AM**

_Too nervous. Come cuddle._

**Text Message from Ben, 12:56 AM**

_What about your parents? They might see us._

**Text Message from Corey, 12:59 AM**

_They’re both heavy sleepers. They won’t wake up. We’ll be quiet. Please?_

Ben couldn’t resist the urge to cuddle, so he tip-toed his way into Corey’s room and crawled into the bed next to his husband, taking the position of the little spoon. Corey instantly relaxed at the contact and the two fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

****  
  


The next morning, Corey and Ben quickly got to work as soon as Corey’s parents had left for church. They made a huge chicken salad for lunch, and Ben even made fresh squeezed lemonade. When Mr. and Mrs. Cott got home, the table was set meticulously and Corey and Ben were waiting to let them in, both dressed in fancy new cardigans with coordinating ties. The “queer in a cardigan” line from _Submissions Only_ had been mentioned several times during the process of getting ready.

* * *

 

“Well, this is all very nice of you boys. Shall we eat?” Mr. Cott said as he eyed the freshly baked cookies sitting on the table next to the salad.

* * *

****  
  


As everyone was finishing their lunch, and Mrs. Cott was just about to stand up to start clearing dishes, Corey stood up. This was his moment. He quickly glanced over at Ben, who gave him a reassuring smile. It was now or never.

“Mom, Dad. There’s a reason I did all this today. I need to talk to you about something. I probably should have told you a long time ago,” Corey began, and quickly shushed his father who was about to interrupt, “Dad, please just let me finish. As I was saying, I should have talked to you guys about this a long time ago. I’m… I’m…” Corey struggled to find the words and sat down. Ben quickly grabbed his hand under the table, giving him the strength to continue, “I’m gay. But that’s not it. I’ve been dating Ben for the past two years, and last month we moved in together. Last week, Ben proposed, and we got legally married the same day. We’re planning a big wedding with all our friends and family next Summer. And we adopted two beautiful daughters, Anastasia and Peyton together last week. They’re at the Holiday Inn down the street right now with Kara and they’d love to come meet their grandparents. I love you so much and I’m still your little boy. Now you just now the real me.”

**  
**“I… I… I don’t know what to say, Corey. I can’t…. I… I… I need a few minutes. Can I go take a walk?” Corey’s mother replied, tears streaming down her face.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha! Cliffhanger! I'll try to write some more tomorrow if I have time, otherwise it will probably be until Wednesday or Friday.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's been a little while, but things have been totally crazy lately. This ends with sort of a cliff hanger, but I'm working on the next chapter now and it should probably be up this afternoon.

After Corey’s mother’s outburst, Corey and Ben packed their things and headed to Ben’s parents’ house across town. Ben had called them and told them everything that morning, so he could be sure it would be a safe place if they needed it. They were thrilled to hear that the two were finally together, his mother saying she knew it from the first time she met Corey, and that they had grandchildren now. On the way over, they stopped to pick up the girls so they could meet their grandparents and so Kara could have a break.

As they pulled up to Ben’s childhood home, Peyton was bouncing with excitement about meeting her grandparents.

“Kara let her have coffee with breakfast and a cherry Coke with lunch! That’s why she’s so hyper!” tattled Ana, giving her sister a joking push.

“Nuh-uh! It was VANILLA Coke!” Peyton yelled back as she continued to bounce up and down.

“Remind me to kill Kara later,” Ben told Corey as he rolled his eyes, “Girls, we’re here. I want you to be on your best behavior while we’re here, okay? These are my parents, your new grandparents, and I want you to make a good first impression.”

“Okay Daddy Ben,” the girls chorused, earning a chuckle from the two men in the front seat.

“I’m sorry Daddy Ben and Daddy Corey. I won’t be hyper ever again!” Peyton told her fathers while she was still bouncing in her seat.

“If only that was a promise you could keep sweety. Now come on guys, let’s go in,” Corey answered.

* * *

**  
**After about two hours, Peyton was napping on Mr. Fankhauser’s lap, and Ana was teaching Mrs. Cott how to play the game she had downloaded on Corey’s iPad. Ben and Corey were snuggled up on the couch watching a movie together. Corey looked around, and in that moment, everything seemed perfect. Just then, his phone started to ring. It was his mother.


	13. Chapter 13

“Hello?”

“Corey, honey? It’s mom. I really owe you an apology. I freaked out, and I was totally wrong to do it. Honey, I love you so much, and I would really appreciate it if you gave me a second chance. I’d love to help you plan a beautiful wedding with Ben and your father and I can’t wait to meet the girls. Please just come back home.”

“We’ll be there in a little while.”

* * *

About 45 minutes later, the Cott-Fankhauser family was back in the car heading to see Corey’s parents. Corey and Ben had decided they weren’t going to mention the argument to the girls, and had asked Corey’s parents to do the same. They couldn’t see any reason to upset them anymore than they already had been lately.

When they got in the house, Corey could still see the tear-stains on her cheeks. She quickly enveloped him in a hug.

“I’m so, so, so sorry, Corey. So sorry. I love you so much, and as long as you’re happy, I’m happy,” she whispered into his ear as she rubbed her back.

While Corey and his mother were having their reunion, Mr. Cott had taken Ben and the girls out to the backyard. When they saw the pool in the backyard, Ana quickly thanked Ben for letting her get a waterproof cast.

Ben handed the girls the bathing suits he had packed for them and they quickly changed in the pool shed while he went inside to change and check on Corey. When he got inside, he saw Corey and his mother sitting together at the kitchen table and talking. Ben slipped quietly into the bathroom to change into his bathingsuit. As he walked back out the sliding door, Corey called him over.

“Ben, hon?”

“What’s up?”

“Are the girls going swimming?”

“Yeah, your dad was just helping them get some pool toys out. Do you want to join us?

**  
**“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Let me just go change.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one was really short too, but I really wanted to write this and give Ashlyn some closure over this fictional argument.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter gets kinda heavy, but I really wanted to add some more drama. Plus, ask Ashlyn, I had to put Tommy and Robin into the story because they just make my heart cartwheel. I mean have you seen the snuggly pics from the Peter Pan Live viewing party? Plus he was at the Newsies Christmas party... :)
> 
>  
> 
> Anyway, the only things I own are Peyton, Ana, and the plot. 
> 
> I'd love it if some people would leave me some comments to just let me know what you think and what you'd like to see more or less of.

Three weeks later, Ben and Corey were getting ready to head to the Chuck E. Cheese in Brooklyn where they were having a party with all their friends and Peyton and Ana’s friends to celebrate their adoption. They had gathered all the goody bags and grabbed the camera and were waiting by the door for Ana to get out of the bathroom.

“Ana! We’re gonna be late! Hurry up!” Peyton yelled under the door, her face pressed to the floor.

“Ana Honey? What’s taking so long? Are you okay in there?” Ben called in, starting to get a little concerned.

After another two or three minutes, Corey opened the door to the small bathroom off the girl’s bedroom, turning his head just in case she was still changing. When he did look in, he saw her sitting against the bathtub with her pajamas on and a tear-stained face.

“Ana what’s wrong? Talk to me,” Corey said as he sat down next to the distraught girl and wrapped her in a hug.

“The two girls that were coming from my homeschool co-op just texted me to say they aren’t coming. Their mom won’t let them anymore. They don’t think we’re a good family.” Ana sniffled.

“What? Why wouldn’t we be a good family? We’re just like any other family.”

“No. We have two dads. Amelia and Willow’s mom said that means we’re all bad people and we can’t corrupt her daughters. But it’s not true! You and Daddy Ben are the nicest people in the world! You took care of us when no one else did and you saved us!”

Corey was filling with rage. He kept clenching and unclenching his fists. Ben poked his head into the bathroom to see what was happening. He was shocked when he saw Ana in tears and the anger on Corey’s face.

“Umm… I’m just gonna get going with Peyton. That way people don’t get there before us. Text me?”

Corey didn’t reply. He didn’t even acknowledge Ben’s presence.

* * *

Fifteen minutes late, Corey and Ana were sitting together on her bed. Corey was texting with Tommy, trying to put together a plan.

**Text Message from Corey, 11:09 AM**

_Hey, can I ask you a huge favor?_

**Text Message from Tommy, 11:11 AM**

_Sure, what’s up?_

**Text Message from Corey, 11:17 AM**

_Well, let’s just say Ana’s friends’ mom is an asshole and won’t let them come to the party because Ben and I might corrupt her precious children. Could you and Robin bring your cousins and his niece along? They’re about the same age, and they got along well when we had that party at your place a few weeks ago._

**Text Message from Tommy, 11:20 AM**

_Probably. Let me just text my aunt and see what Serena and Jamie are up to. I’ll have Robin find out about Jasmine. I’ll let you know in a few?_

__

**Text Message from Tommy, 11:35 AM**

_Robin and I will be there at 1 with Serena and Jasmine. Jamie has football._

* * *

  
“Okay Ana. Get dressed. We’re leaving in 15 minutes. You have friends coming.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so I'm thinking of taking this story in a slightly different direction than I had originally planned. If you were really observant, you may have noticed I changed the tags on the story. Starting on the next chapter, the chapters are going to alternate between Corey and Ben and Tommy and Robin. I just had some really good ideas for it, and I didn't want to start a second fic that would take away from this one, so I found a way to connect them. I hope you'll still enjoy, but please let me know!
> 
> I still don't own Newsies.

_4 Months Later_

Corey and Ben had their wedding mostly planned, and had set the date for August 24th, 2016, exactly two years after closing. They had decided that Peyton and Ana, would be the flower girls, and Kara’s son, who was due in 6 months, would be the ringbearer. They would each have a combination of groomsmen and groomsmaids. Ben had picked his brother, Jeremy Jordan, Andrew Keenan-Bolger,Liana Hunt, Caitlyn Caughell, and Molly Jobe. Corey had chosen his brother, Tommy Bracco, Andy Richardson, Kara Lindsay, his sister, and Laurie Veldheer. They were having the wedding at a botanical garden in Brooklyn that was big enough to accommodate both their large families as well as their Newsies family.

Ben thought it would be nice to have the entire wedding party (minus the unborn member) over for dinner to catch up and talk about the wedding planning, but because their apartment was so small, Corey had suggested they went to a restaurant instead. The wedding party, along with their significant others, were gathered around a large table at Sardi’s and everyone was currently laughing at Peyton who was trying to sing show tunes but was making up words when she forgot them.

“Mirror! Nina! No hey pay Kuzco for hey ya! They’re not worried about mirrors! A Wii is the new straw’s tray la!”

“Those aren’t the words, Stupid! Tell her Uncle Robin!” Ana yelled while Peyton pouted, angry that her sister had interrupted her.

“Actually, I like those words better. Nina probably would have been happier if she had a mirror and a Wii,” Robin answered while he wrapped his arm around Tommy.

At that, Andrew and his boyfriend Scott both cracked up and Jeremy spit out some of the seltzer he had been sipping all over his wife, Ashley. That made Caitlyn and Liana lose it, and soon the entire table was in hysterics.

* * *

 

 

After almost four hours of catching up and sharing stories, it was getting late and everyone decided to head home. Corey and Ben were sitting in the back of a cab, each with one of the girls asleep on their shoulder, grateful for their little family, feeling like everything was right in the world.

 

* * *

 

 

Meanwhile, Tommy and Robin were just getting back to their apartment in Brooklyn. Their little dog was waiting anxiously for them to get back and they both couldn’t help but laugh when she started jumping around in circles in her little crate. Tommy brought her outside while Robin, who was already hungry again, went into the kitchen to find a snack. When Tommy got back inside, Robin was sitting on the couch with a big bag of popcorn, flipping through the tv channels.

 

* * *

 

 

Two hours later, Frozen had just ended and Robin was fast asleep with his head on Tommy’s shoulder. Tommy tried to lift him up to carry him to bed, but he was too heavy.

 

“Hey, hon, wanna wake up and go to bed?”

 

“Unffff.”

 

“I know. You can sleep again once we get into bed.”

 

“Unffff.”

 

“I tried to carry you but I couldn’t. You may be short but I’m still shorter.”

 

“Midget,” Robin replied with a sleepy smile, “Fine, let’s go.”

 

* * *

 

 

Once they were settled into bed, Robin found himself staring up at the ceiling fan trying to figure out how to put together his thoughts when Tommy interrupted him.

 

“Hey what’s on your mind?”

 

“Oh it’s nothing.”

 

“It’s not nothing. You only stare at the fan when you’re trying to think about something important. What’s up?”

 

“Fine. So at dinner tonight, I just couldn’t get over how adorable Peyton and Ana are. And Ben and Corey just seem so happy with them. And I was just thinking you and I are engaged now, and…”

 

“Yes,” Tommy cut him off.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Yes I want kids with you. It just seems so right. And its such a long process we should start now. God, our own kids…”

 

“Doesn’t it just sound perfect?”

  
They both fell asleep that night dreaming of parenthood.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Peyton is trying to sing is "Breathe" from In The Heights.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is really short, and gets a little cheesy, but I really wanted to try an entire chapter written in texts.
> 
> Per usual, I don't own anything. I wish.
> 
>  
> 
> Plus it's Robin's first night as Boq tonight so I really wanted to write about him being at the theater, so this just sort of came from that idea.

_Tommy and Robin_

_One Week Later_

__

It was half hour at the Gershwin and Robin was already in costume and was searching away on his laptop in his dressing room.

**Text Message from Robin, 6:31 PM**

_Hey. So I’m doing some research on adoption and now I have some questions._

__

**Text Message from Tommy, 6:33 PM**

_Ok, shoot._

**Text Message from Robin, 6:37 PM**

_Domestic or International? Girl or Boy? Are we doing joint custody or single parent and then the other has to adopt after and we get married after the first adoption? And are we willing to take the kid in as a foster kid then adopt after? And what about a kid with special needs?_

**Text Message from Tommy, 6:41 PM**

_Geez! That’s a lot to think about. Give me a few minutes._

**Text Message from Robin, 6:43 PM**

_Ok. Kara said to tell you she says hi and that we need to get our asses over to visit her and Kevin’s new place._

**Text Message from Tommy, 6:44 PM**

_What, you two are so close now she can’t talk to me herself?_

**Text Message from Robin, 6:46 PM**

_I told her to call you, but she was busy. I don’t know why they call it morning sickness. She seems to have “half-hour sickness” instead._

**Text Message from Robin, 6:47 PM**

_And right on cue…_

**Text Message from Tommy, 6:48 PM**

_Ewww. I’m glad we’re both guys and don’t have to deal with that._

**Text Message from Robin, 6:53 PM**

_Definitely. Hey, they’re about to call places so I should go. Don’t forget to think about those questions though!_

**Text Message from Tommy, 6:54 PM**

_I will. Have a good show. I’m making baked ziti so we can reheat it later. Gluten free too ;) Xo_

* * *

**Text Message from Tommy, 8:32 PM**

_Hope Act One went well. How’s my favorite Munchkin boy? ;)_

_Anyway, I did a little research too and I have answers to your questions._

_Probably domestic because there’s less legal loopholes for a gay couple. I’d love to have a little girl but I just want a baby. We need to find somewhere that would let us adopt together from the start. I’m ok with foster care as long as it was a baby. I want us to be the only parents they remember. I hate hearing Ben and Corey talk about the nightmares and meltdowns about the girls’ lives with their mother. I have nothing against a kid with special needs but we’d need to make sure we have the resources to take care of them. We can talk more about it later tonight._


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I honestly don't think this is one of the best things I've ever written, but I felt like it should be here, and it gives a better look at who Ana really is. Plus it gives a little insight into what Tommy was saying in Chapter 16. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think!
> 
> I still don't own Newsies! :(

_Corey and Ben_

_A Week Earlier_

__

Corey and Ben were at the mall with Peyton picking out a birthday gift for Ana. Corey and Ben had gotten her a necklace, her first piece of real jewelry, and Peyton had no idea what he should get her. They were wandering through Target when Ben’s phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Hey Ben, its Caitlyn.”

“Hey Cait, what’s up? Is Ana alright?” the panic rising in his voice.

“She’s safe, but…”

“But? But? But?” Ben shouted, making a scene in the middle of Target.

“Let me finish. She just woke up from a nap screaming. I think she might be having a panic attack right now. Her eyes are just blank and she’s saying some really weird things. Let me put you on speaker.”

“No. No! Stop! Don’t let her stay there! She’s hurt! Can’t you see?”

“Cait, I think she’s remembering the accident. I need you to go try to talk to her. Just ask her if you can sit with her first.”

“Okay,” Caitlyn turned to Ana, “Ana, honey? Can I sit with you?”

“Blood. So much blood. And my arm. I can’t feel my arm!”

“Tell her who you are and where she is.”

“Ana, it’s Caitlyn. You’re in my apartment, you’re safe. We’re on the couch together. You just woke up from a nap and you’re having a nightmare. We’re safe.”

Ana started calming down and her breathing started to slow. Ben could hear the change in the environment and felt himself take the breath he didn’t know he was holding in.

“I’m gonna come get her.”

“Okay. It’s okay, Ana. I’m on the phone with your dad, do you want to talk to him?”

Ana shook her head and leaned against Caitlyn’s shoulder. Caitlyn started to rub her back in small circles.

“She’s laying down again. What can I feed her? Her stomach’s growling and I feel like I should feed her something.”

“Do you have any Oreos? She loves them. If you give her that and a glass of milk she should be fine.”

**  
**“Oreos it is then. See you soon. Take your time, though. I think we’re good now.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey sorry it's been so long! I've been crazy busy with the holidays and these next two weeks will be even crazier with midterms. I stayed home today since it got so cold so I finally got a chance to write again. I have a big oral presentation tomorrow so I'm not sure if I'll have time to post again tonight or not, but I'll try my best!
> 
> There's a pretty big time jump here so I can go in the direction I was thinking of. So to catch you up it's now about September of 2015. Kara has had her baby, and Tommy and Robin got married. That's about all you really need to know. I'm doing a few Tommy/Robin chapters in a row because this chapter started getting really long and I didn't want to do that to you guys.

_Tommy and Robin_

_11 Months Later_

“Where’s my tie? The purple one with the tiny white stripes! I can’t find it anywhere!” Robin called from in the closet.

“Did you check the tie rack?” Tommy called back from the bathroom.

“No, of course I didn’t,” Robin replied sarcastically, “I checked everywhere but there.”

“Just checking. Did you try the laundry bag? Didn’t you spill wine on it at my birthday dinner?”

“Crap I did! It’s stained! Do you have a purple tie I can borrow?” Robin called back, panic rising in his voice.

“Check my side of the closet. I might have a lilac one in there from Broadway Prom a few years ago.”

“Found it! Thanks!”

Tommy walked into the bedroom still wearing only his pajama pants.

“You’re not dressed yet? We have to leave in fifteen minutes! I’m freaking out here!”

“Honey, calm down. My suit is laid out on the bed already. Let me go put it on and then we can leave. It’s gonna be fine. We’ll be early even.”

“I know, I know. I’m just so stressed. Why would they call us in for a meeting with the social worker so urgently and not tell us why? What if they don’t want to let us adopt anymore? What if they found us a baby and our lives are changing forever?”

“And what if it’s that mutant cows are falling from the sky? We could sit here playing what if all day. All we can do is go in and see what it is for ourselves,” Tommy laughed as he buttoned his shirt up, “Let’s do this.”

* * *

 

 

Twenty minutes later, Tommy and Robin were standing outside the social worker’s office at DCF. They both let out the breath they didn’t realize they were holding as the woman opened the door.

 

“Mr. Bracco, Mr. De Jesús, please come in,” the women said as she opened the door.

 

“Please Mrs. Smith, call us by our first names,” Tommy insisted.

 

“Alright. Same for you then, call me Linda. I want to thank you both for coming on such short notice. I have a few things I need to talk to you about. Why don’t you have a seat here while I grab your file. Can I get you anything to drink?”

 

“We’re all set, thank you,” Robin replied while looking around the small office, slightly overwhelmed by the clutter.

 

Five minutes later Linda came back with 3 manilla folders with paperwork inside. One was the thick one with all of Tommy and Robin’s information, but they didn’t recognize the two thinner folders that seemed to have only a few papers inside. Robin could feel his pulse quickening as Linda sat down at her desk, facing them, and opened their file.

 

“Alright then. I have some news for you both,” she said to them with a blank expression. Tommy grabbed Robin’s hand and prepared for the worst, “Are you ready for this?”

  
Robin nodded slowly and looked at his husband. Whatever she said, he knew he at least had him for the rest of his life.

 


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I just realized that I never posted this after I wrote it yesterday. Sorry about that!
> 
> But anyway, I still don't own any of the adults in this other that Linda. But I do own all the children. ;)

_Tommy and Robin_

_About 30 Seconds Later_

__

“Alright. Gentlemen, we think we might have found a match for you,” Linda said calmly.

Robin started tearing up while Tommy made gasping noises that were so unattractive he hoped no one ever heard.

“There is one complication however. We know you were looking to adopt a baby, and we have a baby girl who was born earlier this week. The mother passed away and there are no living relatives so the child is now a ward of the state. She was a perfect match for the two of you. But there’s also an older child. She’s six and we really would like to avoid separating them. She’s already lost her mother so we don’t want her to lose her sister too. So would you be interested in adopting both of them? Or fostering with the option to adopt?”

Tommy and Robin excused themselves to talk things over in the hallway.

“Are we really ready for two kids?” Robin asked.

“I honestly don’t know. This is just so much to think about all at once. I can’t believe it’s happening so fast.”

“What if we tried fostering and then we can adopt them if it works out well for us?”

“I’d hate to get them home and find it doesn’t work. Then what’ll happen?”

“Can we call your parents for advice? Maybe another opinion will help.”

“Sure let me try.” … “No answer. Ben and Corey?”

“Sure. Put them on speaker if you get through.”

* * *

 

 

After talking with Ben and Corey for almost 45 minutes Tommy and Robin had come to their decision. Robin grabbed Tommy’s hand as they made their way back into Linda’s office.

 

“Welcome back. Have you gentlemen reached a decision?” Linda asked.

 

“We have. We want to adopt them but we want to foster them until the adoption hearing so they have time to get used to our home,” Robin replied, beaming.

 

“Very good. When was your last home inspection?”

 

“Two weeks ago,” Tommy replied, excitement and nerves evident on his face.

 

“Very well. Let me just print this contract and schedule a court date.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Alright. Can I have you both sign here, here, and here, and initial here and here?” Linda asked, handing them a stack of paperwork.

 

Tommy and Robin flipped through the contract signing and initialing where they had been instructed to.

 

“Perfect. Your court date is October 2nd at 11:45 AM. We’ll mail you the packet for that tomorrow. If its alright with you we can drop Ashlyn and Madelina off at your house later tonight. I’d like to do a dinner all together to allow them to settle into your home.”

  
Tommy and Robin quickly made plans with Linda for that night and left to make dinner, buy a crib, bottles and formula, and get their house ready for their daughters.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is Madelina: https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTFK2wwEzWUBdSxKynRmX0jHCeUdJ-J_1krYjupiDiUe2BlG4aI
> 
> And this is Ashlyn: https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRY6tpS71EDn_YFEXy24f_h7gmOUBstsNSZLaEz13hAfFd_lmSF


	20. Parental Controls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so this is the end of the little Rommy spam to get their story progressing. I promise I have some great Ben/Corey chapters coming up for those of you that like those better.
> 
> Please leave me a comment to let me know what you think of the story and where I can improve. Also feel free to let me know if you think something needs to change in the tags or rating to help either you or others.
> 
> This chapter does have a warning for some offensive language. Just a heads up.
> 
> Finally, the only things I own are the plot and the children.
> 
> Xoxo

_Tommy and Robin_

_2 Weeks Later_

    “Daddy! Can I go on the laptop?” Ashlyn called out from the living room of the small house in Staten Island.

    “For what?” Tommy yelled back from the kitchen where he was trying to heat a bottle for Madelina.

    “I wanna play the Disney games!” Ashlyn called back.

    “Okay, just give me a few minutes to finish the bottle and I’ll get you logged in.”

* * *

 

 

_20 Minutes Later_

 

    Tommy had just signed into the computer and pulled up the Disney Channel website for Ashlyn when Madelina started screaming again. When he ran upstairs to his bedroom to try to soothe her back to sleep, Ashlyn had a devious idea. It was time to find out who exactly her new dad really is. This called for a quick Google search to shed some light on the subject.

 

**Google Search:** _Tommy Bracco_

_222,000 Results_

 

“Hmm. Lots of boring articles, Twitter, some pictures. Ooh! Videos!” Ashlyn thought, “This one looks cool. I wonder what ‘Broadway Prom’ is…”

 

* * *

 

 

_After Watching the Video_

 

    “What did I just watch?!?” Ashlyn thought, “And how can a man be a queen? Wouldn’t he be a king? But more importantly, who are those guys and why are their shorts so short?”

 

    “Daddy! Daddy! I have a question!” Ash yelled as she ran upstairs.

 

    “What’s up honey?” Tommy asked while he was changing Madelina’s diaper.

 

    “Are you a queen?”

 

    “Huh?” Tommy asked, baffled by the question and unsure of what had prompted it and where she was going with it.

 

    “I found a video. You were with two guys and they whipped you and you had tiny shorts and a crown!”

 

    “What were you doing on the computer? I thought you were playing on Disney!”

 

    “I wanted to Google you to find out more about you. Sorry.”

   

    “It’s okay. Next time ask before you go to a different website. But yes, I am a queen. I won.”

 

    “Okay, your majesty,” Ashlyn laughed as she left the room.

 

    “We need to get some parental controls for her,” Tommy muttered to himself.

 

* * *

 

 

_3 Days Later_

 

It was two in the morning but Ash couldn’t sleep. She decided to go downstairs to see if there was anything she could do until Tommy or Robin woke up. When she got to the living room, she saw that the laptop was logged in on the coffee table. This was her chance to find out more about her other dad. Time for another Google search.

 

**Google Search** **:** _R_ _ obin De Jesús _

_35,200,000 Results_

 

    “Let’s check out the videos again. Let’s see what this ‘Breathe’ is,” Ashlyn thought.

 

    She clicked through videos for almost an hour before going back upstairs. She had so many questions about what she had seen so she was glad when she saw Robin sitting in the rocking chair with Madelina.

 

    “Papí? Can I ask you a few questions?” she asked.

 

    “Let me start. Why aren’t you in bed?” he whispered back, trying not to wake Madelina who he had just put back in the crib.

 

    “I couldn’t sleep so I went on the computer. You left it logged in.”

 

    “Shit,” Robin muttered. He had left it open because he ran upstairs when the baby started crying, “What did you do?”

 

    “I watched a few videos of you. What’s a ‘tranny’? _(A/N: I know this is an extremely offensive term, but I’m quoting from a video of Robin here. Sorry.)_ And what does it mean to ‘tuck’?”

  
    Robin turned bright red as he quickly explained to Ashlyn that that was a conversation they would have when she was much older, and that she was grounded and not allowed to use the computer for two weeks. He walked her back to bed, tucked her in, and then went downstairs to figure out how to work the parental controls.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here are the links to the videos that Ashlyn is watching.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD1Z4BMdox8
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdF2apZs48s


	21. The Audition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm really bored this morning because I don't have a midterm but I'm still stuck at school, so I'm in the library writing for the next 2 hours. So you'll probably get at least a few chapters this morning.
> 
> As always I don't own anything but the plot and the characters I created (i.e. the kids)

_Corey and Ben_

_The Next Day_

“Daddies! We’re gonna be late! I can’t be late for my first real audition!” Ana yellled upstairs where Corey and Ben were arguing with Peyton about why you need to wear pants in public.

“Ana, we have plenty of time. Why don’t you run through your song one more time with Daddy Ben and I’ll get your sister in some pants,” Corey yelled back.

“No!” Peyton screamed as she ran down the stairs in just a t-shirt.

“Let me do it,” Ana said, rolling her eyes as she grabbed her sister when she ran past. They went upstairs together, Peyton yelling the entire time, and came down 10 minutes later.

“There. All you had to do was offer her a dress. That’s what she really wanted.”

Ben and Corey both looked at each other with confusion and relief before walking out the door to take Ana to her audition.

* * *

When they got to the studio, Ana spotted Tommy and Ashlyn sitting over by the water dispenser. Ana asked if she could go over and sit with them and then quickly ran over, nearly tripping over a girl who was stretching on the floor.

“Her first open call. Can you believe it? Seems like only yesterday this was us,” Ben said as he rubbed Corey’s shoulder.

“I know. They grow up so fast.”

Just then, Peyton decided it would be a fun idea to take off her tights and dress and run naked through the waiting area. Ana turned bright red watching the scene unfold as Corey chased her and put the dress back over her head. Corey decided it would be best if they left, so Ben stayed with Ana while Corey took Peyton to the park.

* * *

**  
**After the audition, Ana was feeling kind of disappointed. She felt like all the other girls looked more prepared, or prettier than her, and felt like her best effort wasn’t enough. Tommy asked if they all wanted to get together and get ice cream to celebrate the girls’ first auditions, and Ben thought that sounded like a great idea. Ben called Corey and Tommy called Robin and they made a plan to meet at Cold Stone in 2 hours. In the mean time, the girls decided it would be fun to do a little shopping together. Tommy and Ben groaned as they headed towards Times Square, knowing their wallets would soon be much lighter.


	22. Ice Cream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter. This one's mostly fluff, but I really wanted to write about all of them hanging out in the city and play around with the friendship between Ashlyn and Ana.
> 
> I still only own the kids.

_Corey and Ben/Tommy and Robin_

_Later That Day_

Everyone had just met up at Cold Stone and the line was out the door. Madelina was screaming in her stroller and Peyton was complaining that she had to pee. They were at the end of the line and Ben was trying to come up with somewhere they could quickly take her to use the bathroom. He figured they could probably make it to Starbucks if they ran, so they started the sprint to get back in time.

* * *

By the time they got back, the line had moved a few places. Behind the little group, Chris and Clay had just gotten in line and Clay was making faces at Madelina in the stroller. Ana and Ashlyn were telling Chris all about their auditions, thrilled to have a new audience.

The line kept moving until they made it up to the counter. They all ordered their ice cream and headed outside. Madelina was sleeping in Chris’s arms, and Peyton somehow managed to get ice cream in her hair and up her nose within 30 seconds of being handed her ice cream. Clay said that they needed to take a group selfie outside with their ice cream, so they all squeezed together, Clay with Peyton on his back, and Chris still holding Madelina, and took a really cute picture. Clay sent it to all of them and they all Instagramed it with different filters and captions.

* * *

After they finished their ice cream, the group said goodbye to Chris and Clay who had to head to their shows. Tommy and Robin were ready to head home, but Ana and Ashlyn didn’t want to say goodbye to each other. Corey gave Ben, Tommy, and Robin a look before making an offer to the girls.

“Ash, do you want to sleep over at our house tonight?” Corey asked.

“Can I? Daddy? Papí?”

“Sure honey. You still have a toothbrush and clothes there, right?” Robin asked.

“Yup! Her stuff is in my bottom drawer!” Ana replied, bouncing with the excitement of having her best friend stay over.

“Okay. We’ll see you at some point tomorrow then. We love you,” Tommy replied.

Tommy and Robin both kissed Ashlyn and said goodbye before leaving to head home with Madelina. Ben and Corey headed in the opposite direction to stop at the grocery store before heading home with Peyton, Ana, and Ashlyn.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long! I've been super sick lately and I'm finally feeling a little better. So you can expect more chapters again! Yay! 
> 
>  
> 
> Oh, and I can't remember if I told you guys about the spin off of holiday one shots I made to go with this or not. So if I didn't, consider yourself aware now. You can find that one on here too. I did some Valentines' Day ones and I have a plan for some St. Patrick's Day and Easter ones to get up in the next few days.
> 
> Just a reminder I don't own anything but the plot and the creation of the kids!

_Corey and Ben_

_A few hours later_

  
  


Ashlyn and Ana were sitting on the oversized couch in the family room sobbing while they watched Rent for the first time.

 

“Daddy!” Ana shouted.

 

Ben came running into the room, expecting one of the girls to be a bloody mess with the tone of Ana’s shout.

 

“What happened? Who’s hurt?” He yelled as he ran through the doorway. He looked down to see the two girls crying on the couch and calmed down when he noticed the lack of blood.

 

“You didn’t tell us Angel DIES!” Ana sobbed, “Why is the world so cruel?”

 

Ben stifled a chuckle as he sat down between the sobbing tweens. Both girls buried their heads on his shoulders and continued to sob.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Ben was in the middle of a deep conversation with the girls about life and death and how unfair it was that some people’s lives were cut so short when the phone rang. Corey picked it up in the kitchen. A few minutes later he walked into the room, beaming.

 

“I have some news for Ana,” he said. Ana scrambled off the couch and nearly mauled Corey trying to get him to tell her.

 

“What is it? Hurry up and tell me!” she shouted.

 

“How does your first callback sound?” he said with a proud smile.

 

Ana produced a screaming noise that sounded like a strange combination of a dying whale and a newborn kitten. Ben started crying and Corey wrapped them both in a hug. Ashlyn sat awkwardly in the corner wondering if she had gotten one too.

 

“Umm, not to break your celebration, but… I think I’ll go in the other room and call my dads to see if they’ve heard anything,” Ashlyn said as she walked out of the room. Everyone was too busy celebrating to even hear her.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Umm, Papí? It’s Ash. I just wanted to know if you heard anything about my audition. Ana just got a callback. Call me when you get this? Love you. Bye.”

 

Okay, maybe Tommy would answer his phone. Ashlyn thought it was at least worth a try. She pressed his contact in her phone and listened to the ringing on the other line until the familiar voicemail message began to play.

 

“Hey you’ve reached Tommy. I’m either busy or ignoring you right now. Either way, don’t leave a message. I never check them.”

 

Okay, that didn’t work either. Ashlyn peaked her head back into the family room. All three of them were crying and hugging now, so she decided to go upstairs and see what Peyton was doing.

 

 

* * *

 

 

About twenty minutes later, Ana came upstairs and found Ashlyn and Peyton playing with Polly Pockets on the floor of Peyton’s room.

 

“Hey,” Ana said quietly as she walked in the room, “Sorry we kinda ignored you down there. I got really distracted. Wanna go finish the movie?”

 

“Not really,” Ashlyn said quietly, not making eye contact with her friend.

 

“Talk to me. Are you mad at me?” Ana asked, not sure what was wrong with Ashlyn.

 

“No. I’m just still waiting to hear from my dads about if I got a callback too. Wouldn’t they have called me first? My last name comes first and I went in first.”

 

“Maybe they’re doing it by character? I got called back for Fritzi. And you’d be better for Ellen.”

 

“Oh so now I’m the chubby weird one too? Thanks. You’d think I’d be a shoe-in for this. I mean one of my dads was in the movie!”

 

“You know I didn’t mean it like that. You don’t have that back-stabbing vibe to you for Fritzi. You wouldn’t hurt a fly! I’m sure you’ll hear soon.”

 

Just then, Ashlyn’s phone started to ring. Ana looked down to see it was Robin as Ashlyn hurried out of the bedroom. About fifteen minutes later, she walked back in the room with tear stains on her face.

“I got one. Ellen,” she laughed out, and the two friends shared an embrace while Peyton looked on with confusion.


	24. Chapter 24

_Tommy and Robin_

_3 Weeks Later_

“Papí? Dad? Anyone listening? The phone’s ringing!” Ashlyn yelled from the living room.

She waited a few minutes to see if anyone would pick up the phone. When it was still ringing she figured it would be okay if she picked it  up.

“Hello?”

“Ash? Are you supposed to be answering the phone?”

“Uncle Danny! What’s up?”

“Hey kid. Are your dads around? They were supposed to pick up Madelina an hour ago. I’m going out to dinner with Uncle Devin tonight so I can’t keep her much later.”

“They’re in their room. **_Again._** Why are they always in there when I get home from school? Don’t they wanna play with me?”

“Of course they do honey. I’ll talk to them.”

“Okay. I’ll go get them!”

“NO! Don’t go in there!”

“Why? What are they doing in there?”

“Umm, I don’t know,” Danny stuttered, clearly flustered.

“And they’re making weird noises too.”

Ashlyn  then proceeded to demonstrate the noises coming from the bedroom to Danny, who was doing his best not to choke from laughing as she copied the moans she was overhearing.

“Ash, honey? I’m gonna text Uncle Devin and have him pick you up. We’ll all go to dinner instead. I’ll text your dads and let them know. Bring a sleepover bag. It’s Friday so you can just crash here tonight.”

“Okay! I’ll go pack. Can we get Schmackary’s too?”

“Sure honey. See you in a little while. Love ya.”

* * *

**Text Message from Danny, 3:53 PM**

_Hey. Change in plans tonight. Just talked to Ash. Sounds like Tommy and Robin are getting a little action this afternoon. Girls staying with us tonight. Can you pick Ash up?_

**Text Message from Devin, 3:57 PM**

_Eww. With her in the house?!? Gross. Sure I’ll go get her. Where for dinner?_

**Text Message from Danny, 4:01 PM**

_I was thinking somewhere in Times Square that’s kid-friendly. Ash wants Schmacks for dessert and I think she’s earned some. And maybe a Toys R Us and Disney Store trip._

**Text Message from Devin, 4:03 PM**

_I’ll make a reservation somewhere. See you in a bit. Are you calling Tommy and Robin or do I have to disturb them?_

**Text Message from Danny, 4:07 PM**

_Eww no. I’d never ask you to do that. I’ll call. Just text Ash when you get there and she’ll come out. Love ya._

**Text Message from Devin, 4:09 PM**

_xoxoxo_

* * *

**Text Message from Danny, 4:17 PM**

_Hey. Just talked with Ash on the phone and it sounded like you and Robin were a little “busy” when she got home from school. Devin’s picking her up and we’re having them both stay over tonight. Let me know that you get this. And remember: be safe. And you owe me big time. BIG TIME. Let’s just say she recreated some noises for me over the phone. ;p_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt so rebellious writing this on a school computer in the library during my study hall. I was so scared the librarian would come read over my shoulder or something and get me in trouble. 
> 
>  
> 
> But, if I were to write a more explicit story (At home, of course. I'm not that dumb), would anyone read it? Just curious. I have some ideas to go one


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey. This chapter kinda sucks, but I've had online state testing all day and my brain is pretty much mush at this point. I'll try to write some more either tonight or tomorrow, but I don't have a computer right now so it depends when I'm able to use someone else's.

_Danny and Devin_

_Later that Night_

__****  
  


Devin walked in to see Danny sleeping on their bed with Madelina curled up next to him, both with a sweet smile plastered on their face. He gave them both a peck on the forehead before going to get Ashlyn settled in the livingroom. When he left the bedroom, Ashlyn had already let Jackson out of his crate and she was throwing his sock monkey across the room and laughing as he slid around while he ran on the hardwood floor.

“Hey kid. Did you eat something after school?”

“Nah. Usually Dad makes me something and its ready when I get off the bus.”

“Are you hungry? Want me to make you something?”

“Yeah. What do you guys have for kid food?”

“Everything. I swear your Uncle Danny is 3 instead of 23. Wanna make sundaes?”

“Do you have whipped cream?”

“Duh. It wouldn’t be a sundae without any.”

“Last time I had whipped cream at home I got in trouble. Apparently the one in Daddy and Papί’s room is just for them. They’re really bad at sharing,” Ashlyn pouted.

Devin choked back laughter and realized that this was going to be an interesting sleepover. Just then, Danny and Madelina came out of the bedroom, both still groggy from their nap. Madelina went toddling towards her sister and started babbling nonsense words. Danny went over and wrapped Devin in a hug from behind and thanked him for all his help. They worked together to whip up an amazing sundae for Ashlyn.

* * *

**  
**After Ashlyn finished her ice cream she went and joined Danny in the living room to play Wii. Devin was in the kitchen with Madelina in a carrier on his back while he was trying to figure out where they could go for dinner. Looking around at the chaos and mess two little kids had brought to the apartment made him suddenly glad that Danny was out of his show with a broken wrist. There was no way he could have handled them both on his own. He finally decided that pizza seemed like a good plan for dinner and called in an order to be waiting for them when they got there. Twenty minutes later they all headed out to pick up their food and do some shopping.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
